


The Shire - Food, Food, Food.

by fuzzybooks



Series: Of Hobbits' Generosity and Food [1]
Category: The Hobbit (2012)
Genre: Fluff, Food, Gen, Hobbits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-20
Updated: 2013-02-20
Packaged: 2017-11-29 23:56:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/692992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzybooks/pseuds/fuzzybooks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bifur, Bofur and Bombur are traveling, and upon reaching the Shire they expect to be treated much the same way they are in the villages of Men, little did they know that was not the way Hobbits treat people in need.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Shire - Food, Food, Food.

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt:  
> The dwarves travel through the Shire and everything is ridiculously harmonic and they are treated so very well and nobody's used to it.  
> I mean, maybe there are some glances at first, but Hobbits are very good at taking care of people and these Strange Dwarves obviously need to be a little fattened up.
> 
> Bonus points for adorable Hobbit children, BECAUSE ADORABLE HOBBIT CHILDREN, Bombur eing a big hit with everyone (A dwarf who truly understands the importance and generel awesomeness of a good meal, or two, or ten!) and not shy at all hobbit lads and lasses flirting to the high heavens.
> 
> http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/3393.html?thread=6491713#t6491713
> 
> And is part 1 out of roughly 6 and however many side-stories decide to show up and demand to be written.

When the news arrived that there were Dwarves on the roads headed towards the Shire, most likely heading to the mountains to the west, there had been a good amount of grumbling. Dwarves were not quite the same as the Big Folk of course, but they were a good deal bigger than Hobbits, and a people who had the call of War in their blood.  
  
There had been talk about hiding their children, which was quickly hushed up and any thoughts of distrust and the greed of Dwarves quickly receded when the first of the Bounders caught a glance of the Dwarves heading towards them. There were only three of them, but it was clear that they had journeyed far, with little provisions of their own.  
  
The Hobbits of Whitfurrows that heard the news, clucked. They had heard some more from the families in Buckland, they said it was doubtful the poor things had even been getting the measly three meals a day that the bigger people seemed to favour.  
So the Hobbits did what Hobbits do best. They planned, and they cooked. It was near time for a party anyway, and if that party stretched from the Brandywine Bridge to Needlehole, well, the more the merrier.  
  
Such an event should have of course been discussed before it began, but the Dwarves were already on their way across the river, so there was hardly time to do more than send out messengers to Frogmorton and Bywater and get to cooking.  
  
The children were delighted of course, they could get their favourite desserts, and they would get to meet real, live, Dwarves! They had heard stories, mainly from the Wandering Wizard, but they had never seen one in person!  
  
All that they had heard from The Big Grey Wizard could not stop them from being slightly awed and a bit shocked when they saw the Dwarves cross the bridge in the distance. They had gone to keep watch while their parents cooked and took out their instruments to play.  
They saw the Dwarves come nearer and some of the older children were shocked, one of them had an axe sticking out of his head!  
  
Bramble gathered up her siblings and cousins, to their great dismay, and brought them back home.  
  
“Mama! One of them is injured! He’s got an axe, in his face!” She was shouting, but she had no idea how the poor thing was walking, and he clearly needed help!  
  
Bramble’s words confused the adults, the Brandybucks hadn’t said anything about an injured party. Marigold was the one that usually patched them up, if they couldn’t wait for someone from Hobbiton or further away to come, so she grabbed her bag and went to go and see these Dwarves for herself, she was followed by her husband and assistant, Augustus.  
  
Which turned slightly awkward when they saw the three Dwarves, and while one of them certainly had an axe embedded in his skull, he was also walking on his own, so it must have been a slightly older injury than Bramble’s tone insisted.  
  
Well, this just gave them the reason they needed to invite them for Lunch. And to make sure they were in Frogmorton by Dinner, then they should be able to have Supper at the Green Dragon, which should have beds their size.  
  
Yes, that would work.  
  
Little did they know what inviting these Dwarves into their homes would bring, but they would not change their actions, for Hobbits were known for their generosity, and their food, and they would not let these weary travelers go without either.  
  
-  
  
When they had been told that Bifur had been injured, they certainly hadn’t thought he had lost the ability to speak with them verbally, oh they caught a word here and there, but not much. Luckily their parents had taught them Iglishmêk since they were all expected to work in the mines, so they were able to communicate when Bifur started getting a bit better.  
  
It had been a few years now, they went town to town, but tried to keep their travels to a minimum until Bifur was able to travel for longer distances. They were lucky he wasn’t dead, and that he’d gotten through with as little damage as he had.  
  
Unfortunately the physicians wanted money for care and money for medicine and there was food to be gotten and far too little work to be had. Bofur had used the skills he had learned from Bifur to make toys, and Bombur had helped, and had managed to get a few jobs as a cook, though people were far more suspicious of a Dwarf cooking for them, than making toys for their children.  
  
They had finally been able to head west, and the looks of suspicion and sometimes even fear, were sent towards them in near every settlement they passed. Whispers about job-stealers and greedy thieves followed them wherever they went.  
  
Bombur sighed, they were coming up on another settlement, having just passed Bree. Normally they traveled around the Shire, he honestly wasn’t sure why, but their supplies were running low and they just couldn’t afford taking a longer way around. Even if it meant withstanding more glares and the women standing in front of their children, as if they were child snatchers! He shook himself. It wasn’t worth wasting the effort spent thinking about it.  
  
He tuned his brother back in, he was talking something his friend Víli had done in an attempt to court some noble lady, and then Bombur saw two small people running towards them. At first he thought they might be children, but as they came closer he realised that was not the case. They were clearly adults, but certainly not Dwarves, they had the wrong proportions and were far shorter than even the shortest of grown Dwarves. On top of that, they also had the biggest feet Bombur had seen, that seemed to be covered in hair.  
  
He turned to Bofur, but his brother looked just as perplexed and their cousin showed no signs of recognition.  
  
The small people stopped and blinked at them for a moment before the lady gathered her wits.  
  
“Welcome to the Shire!” She said with a bright smile, “We were actually just about to have Lunch, I left the cooking duty to my eldest today, so there’s plenty to go around. She always felt bad putting half of things back in the pantry...” She trailed off, lost in thoughts of her pantry. The little Mister next to her continued,  
  
“What Marigold means is, you’re very welcome to join us, you look like you’ve seen a fair bit of the world, don’t suppose we could trouble you for a story? The kids love to hear about them faraway places.” He sent them a smile and nodded, before turning back to where he came from and walking, seemingly expecting the dwarves to follow.  
  
Bombur was never one to turn away food, especially if the payment was a story and Bofur only hesitated for a moment before agreeing. and, he thought, they have a lot of green things around. They would probably know how to make things Bifur wants to eat.  
  
Mind made up, the three dwarves followed the two odd little people, lured with the promise of food and some rest from the road.  
  
When they turned off the road and made it to the little village, the first thing they noticed was the smell, it was heavenly. They were in fact so distracted by the smell that it took them a second to notice the food set out on the table. There were salads of all sorts and pies, various forms of breads and cheeses, there were cold cuts of meat, there were sliced tomatoes and cucumber, paprika and Bombur spied at least four different potato dishes.  
  
They hadn’t seen this much food laid before them in a long time and at the time there had been a lot more people to eat it. Really, the years had been hard lately, and they hadn’t been a lot better before Bifur went off to fight. Food was often down prioritised when there were new clothes needed for the winter, or the rent was due.  
  
Lunch was a busy affair, with eating and Bofur kept the little ones entertained with story and after story. They found out that they were Hobbits, of the Shire. Small people who had no beard, but big feet covered with hair. Bifur, Bofur and Bombur had gotten to eat more than they had for a very long time, and spend time in great company. It was wonderful change of pace, and they wondered if all hobbits were this happy to give and accept weary outsiders.  
  
They had also received quite a few recipes of food from Marigold and Augustus, so that Bifur could have a healthy diet, Bofur looked at Bombur questioningly at that but Bombur had no idea what they meant, even though he didn’t eat meat. They had also included seeds and instructions on how to grow them, as well as a list that they should give to a Lily Proudfoot in Frogmorton and Violet Took(“She’s a Hornblower now sweetheart.” “Nonsense, once a Took, always a Took, no matter who they marry.”) in Bywater.  
  
Bofur took out his flute and played for them a bit, and tried to play along with the hobbits playing on their instruments, before he said that they really should be going.  Bramble, the young hobbit lass, was upset, having quite liked their visitors, and certainly wouldn’t let them leave without having tried the fresh baked cookies, or without taking 3 cheese scones each, so they didn’t miss out on Afternoon Tea while they were on the road.  
  
The cookies were amazing and practically melted on their tongues, and they ate until they thought they would burst.  The scones were packed in napkins and put in some of the many pockets they shared.  
  
The three dwarves thanked their hosts, and proclaimed themselves forever at their service, should there be anything at all they could do or give. They had also left a few whittled toys lighter, because nobody could resist the big wide eyes of a young Hobbit. Not that Bofur really tried, he was all too happy to see the young lad's smile to want to withhold toys, besides, the food that had gotten had been worth more than what he could get for the piece of wood.  
  
And with that they continued on the Great East Road, all of them wondering just what would meet them when they arrived in the next little village. They didn’t meet all that many hobbits on the road, but the ones they did see all waved and smiled cheerfully at them.  
  
They walked and unfortunately the scones remained uneaten, for by the time they could even think about eating again, they had reached the little place known as Frogmorton.  
  
“Dwarves! Look Ma! They have hair on their face!” A young lad exclaimed on seeing the dwarves coming down the road. Bofur let out a chuckle.  
  
“Aye, lad! That we do. Imagine my surprise when we got here and there wasn’t a beard in sight!” Both Bofur and the lad chuckled, but one of the other children exclaimed,  
  
“Of course there wasn’t a beard in sight! Hobbit’s don’t grow beards, silly!” A young woman stood behind the child and tutted.  
  
“Now, now. Don’t go offending their beards, I hear they take great pride in them. Which I suppose they should, can’t be easy to take care of.” She smiled at the dwarves before sighed, reaching down to clean of Ruben’s sticky fingers.  
  
“Oh, no offense taken, my lady. I suppose we look quite odd to you. We are looking for a Lily Proudfoot actually, if you could give us directions?” Bofur gave the lady his most charming grin. She hummed.  
  
“Yes, she down the road to the left, and you’ve arrived just in time for Dinner! I’ll show you the way, I’ll pass it by anyway.” At his nod she took Ruben’s hand and they started walking down the road, until they came to a house. She stopped and gestured to the door,  
  
“That’s your stop, it was very nice to meet you! I might see you at the market in Hobbiton tomorrow, I have to pick up some things.” She said and skipped away with the young boy.  
  
The three watched her go before turning to knock on the door.  
  
The door was opened by a slightly older hobbit than any they had met, that promptly introduced herself as Lily Proudfoot and waving them inside, where there was a table full of food, practically a feast.  
  
They didn’t want to be presumptuous, they had already gotten a lovely meal today already, but it the food was truly mouthwatering to behold.  
  
There were roasted fowl and mutton, potatoes of all sorts, cooked fish and an assortment of roasted and boiled vegetables and beans, gravy to go with the meats. Surely it was more than this one old lady could eat by herself?  
  
Apparently Miss Lily Proudfoot thought so as well, as she sat down at the head of the table and gestured for them to sit.  
  
“Oh, do sit down dearies. Tuck in! Business can wait until after Dinner.”  
  
And tuck in they did. Not nearly as much as they ate ate lunch, but more than they had been able to lately. Bombur was quite happy, hobbits truly knew how to cook. There wasn’t much conversation to be had, Lily was mostly happy to see the dwarves fed and didn’t feel like taking up their time with small talk quite yet.  
  
When they finally sat back, with many a thank you from Bofur and Bombur, and some from Bifur as well, they handed the list of instructions to her and she read through it and hummed and hawed and told them to stay where they were.  
  
She went to the back of her house and returned with a sack of dried beans, which she handed to the small family.  
  
“Now, you need to put them in water for a few hours before you rinse them off and cook them, but they should replace the meat, I’m sure your cousin can do it since he was a cook.” Lily repeated the instructions a few times to make sure they understood and they nodded, and Bombur and Bofur both smiled when they saw their cousin smile and tear up a bit, since there was finally someone, who was grown and no longer a child, that spoke to him and not around him.  
  
Before Lily let them leave, she made sure they ate a slice, or two in Bombur’s case, of her strawberry cream cake. They were sad to leave Frogmorton and vowed to come visit again, to which Lily replied that her door was always open if they did.  
They set off towards Bywater and the inn, since the hobbits had refused to accept any payment in coin, they still had some so they could afford to rent a room for the night.  
  
Smiling they wandered off, the sun just starting to set, on what had turned out to be a truly marvelous day.  
  
  
Bywater was bigger than Whitfurrows or Frogmorton by a fair bit. Out instinct the three dwarves hunched, prepared for the looks that never came, oh there were some curious children running around, having never seen a dwarf, but all in all, they were accepted openly and gladly.  
  
They made their way to the biggest building, the one that was lit up and had people milling around it, along with a sign with a painted green dragon on it. They had been told that they could find Violet Took(Hornblower?) in the inn.  
  
The Green Dragon inn was a cheerful and boisterous establishment, with people who didn’t identify themselves further than saying they were Grubbs or Boffins or Bolgers. They were led to a booth in the far corner, near-empty in comparison to the rest of the tables, with only two ladies sitting there.  
  
Upon seeing the dwarves they stood up and waved.  
  
“Violet-” “And Olivia-” “Hornblower, a pleasure to make your acquaintance!” They said and curtsied.  
  
“Seat yourselves, Mister Bolger makes the best mushroom soup in all of the Shire, he really does.” Olivia said and sat back down.  
  
Bofur gaped, another meal? Bombur on the other hand was quite happy, he had started to become a bit peckish. Bifur was happy that he was able to eat without picking away most of his plate.  
  
Sitting down at the table was not as difficult as they had thought, the chairs were slightly bigger than the normal chairs, and perfectly comfortable for dwarves to sit in. They were nice chairs too, with cushions and padding at the back, Bifur had just started dozing off when Mister Bolger, the maker of the mushroom soup, came over carrying a tray with bowls, some empty and some filled to the brim with stew and a big metal pot of mushroom soup.  
  
“Here you go, young Bob Boffins will be out with your bread and your ale in a moment. You will be staying the night here, won’t you? We’ve got some beds that should suit you perfectly.” He said, the wide gent wearing a frightfully green apron that he folded his hands into, and a tall white hat.  
  
Bofur looked at Bombur and Bifur before turning back to the hobbit to reply,  
  
“Oh, definitely, it will be nice to sleep in a bed. I’m sure they’re lovely.” He smiled and he noted that Bombur had started on his stew, while Bifur was waiting for the ladies to take soup before taking any for himself.  
  
The stew was amazing, even after the two previous meals, the tender meats and flavours that lingered and smells that brought on thoughts of comfort and home. The soup was truly the best mushroom soup they had ever had, though none of them could quite remember ever having eaten any mushroom soup before.  
  
They handed the paper to Violet, and she nodded and said that she would make sure to fix it, whatever ‘it’ was, before they left in the morn.  
  
Bofur had been surprised that the looks that they received were not hostile in any way, in fact, many a lass, and a few lads, seemed to be paying close attention to Bombur, with a fair bit of blushing involved. A few brave ones even came up to the table and complimented his beard! Bifur and Bofur sniggered behind their hands while Bombur blushed scarlet and stammered.  
  
Bofur made his, and Bifur’s, excuses and they made their way in and to the rooms that had been put in order for them. The beds were even bigger than he had been expected, made for Elves or maybe even Men. Bofur did not quite care, he barely had the energy to to take off his shoes before collapsing and falling into a far more restful sleep than he had had in a long time.  
  
Bifur snorted at his cousin’s antics, and made sure to take off his shoes and outer clothes and tuck the blanket around him. He smiled at Bofur’s sleeping form, before getting ready for bed himself, Bombur would be up soon he figured.  
  
Bombur had stayed in the common room and been given some dessert that he shared with the ladies and their cousins, and he was terribly shocked at the blunt and open nature of hobbit lads and lasses, and when he finally went to join his family, they wouldn’t let him leave without having kissed his cheek and wrapping him in a hug.  
  
He tucked himself in, happy and content, lulled to sleep by Bifur’s snores.  
  
Birds were singing outside the window the next morning, Bofur stretched slowly, and turned to lay on his side, before realising that he had no idea where he was. Indoors? There’s no walls by the side of the road. After a moment the memories of the previous day came back, when they arrived in the Shire and had been treated as welcome guests, instead of as outsiders and thieves to be shunned.  
  
He saw Bifur was awake, making the most of the soft bed, but Bombur was still asleep. Bofur gave a quiet chuckle, his brother hadn’t been that popular in quite a while, the ideals among the womenfolk of Men was far different than here, and some of the dwarves had adopted them, after the time spent together.  
  
He decided to let Bombur sleep for a while longer, and made use of the wash basin they had been given, feeling woefully unpresentable next to the clean and colorful people that had treated them kindly.  
  
Bifur followed and soon they made their way back to the common room where breakfast was being served. There were pancakes and waffles and bread and bowls of rice pudding and jam, and various cut fruits and berries.  
  
Bofur got a little confused when he kept hearing be referred to as ‘first’ breakfast.  
  
“First? What do you mean first breakfast?” He had to ask.  
  
When Bombur finally came in, Bofur had to share the news,  
  
“Bombur, this is First Breakfast, apparently hobbits have two!” He said with a smile, and young Bob Boffins had to add,  
  
“Well, of course we do! And then there’s Elevensies and and Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner and Supper. Brunch isn’t necessary, but a hobbit has at least 7 meals a day, up to 10 on special occasions. Not to mention the snacks, you see, my Ma makes these great apple crackers, they’re great if you get peckish between meals.” He said, smiling just thinking about the apples mixed with cinnamon and just enough sugar.  
  
The dwarves stared, looking a little like fish, before Bombur chimed up,  
  
“They’ve certainly got the right attitude to life.” He said before tucking into his pudding.  
  
Violet and her wife came by as they were packing up to leave, carrying a box that was not at all as heavy as it looked.  
  
“Here you go, I know you’re on your way, but we couldn’t let you leave the Shire without sending you off with some food. It’s crisp bread, it keeps for ages when dry, and it’s good for traveling since it’s light. You should be able to tie it onto one of your bags, so it won’t be that much of a burden to carry.” Olivia said. Violet nodded and helped them tie the box, a small chest really, to Bombur’s bag.  
  
“There’s definitely some people who are sad you see you leave, you’ll have to make sure to come back soon!” Violet said, smiling gently and gesturing towards her more adventurous cousins.  
  
Bombur ducked his head and blushed, and Bofur clapped him on the back. They would definitely have to come back. They would have to come back with something to give next time, more toys to give to the little ones, to repay them for their kindness and generosity.  
  
They waved as they were seen off, the next stop would be in Waymeet, which they would hopefully reach in time for this very alluring Second Breakfast. It was truly no wonder they could cook, when they had 7 meals, minimum! to prepare a day, it would be a bit difficult if you couldn’t.  
  
Bofur took out his flute again, playing a jolly tune, full of hope and happiness, fitting for these green and fruitful hills.  
  
The Shire in the morning was a lovely place to walk through, the birds were fluttering about them and the sun was shining, there was a light breeze ruffling the leaves in the green trees surrounding them.    
  
Bombur was usually the quiet one, but when Bofur had put away his flute, Bombur was talking away about hobbits and the Shire. It truly was a lovely place though, Bofur was glad they had opted to go through, rather than around, it.  
  
They had walked for a bit before they came up on Waymeet, aptly named, since it was a gathering of quite a few roads, the Great East Road and one heading north, or south.  
  
People were running to and fro, and there were pans with food being fried and food being sold, there was a caravan parked nearby, surrounded by children sucking down food and it was loud and busy, but not in the bad and nasty way the the markets in foreign places could be. There was a lightness and it lacked the unwelcome or even fake air welcomeness that many marketplaces had, they couldn’t find customers to cheat by being too rude after all.  
  
When they came closer they were handed plates and told to go take food, there was sausage and bacon sizzling and eggs, scrambled and omelets, fried mushrooms and potatoes as well as some sort of bean sauce thing in a pot.  
  
While Second Breakfast lacked some of the closeness and almost intimacy of their earlier hobbit meals, it was certainly something special. They watched the traders and buyers haggle and hug, there was shouting about the price of pigs and then there were inquiries about family. They offered to help with the washing up, but were waved off.  
  
“You’ll be lucky if you make it to Needlehole by Afternoon Tea, no need stand around here washing dishes. Now, go visit Maggie, she’ll make sure you’ve got provisions for the road, and directions.” The elderly gentleman then wandered off, towards a small lass,  
  
“Oh no Min! What have I told you about sticking things in your mouth?” He sighed.  
  
Maggie Cotton (“Marigold really - but Marigold and I are cousins by marriage and it can get confusing”) was more than happy to give them food to take on the road, carefully wrapped and packed.  
  
“Now, you take the road up, and follow it, and you’ll get to the bog, I’d try and go around it if I were you, but there is a road straight through, and you should be fine if you stick to it. Now, the green pack is Elevensies, and the yellow is Luncheon, if you hurry, you should get there by Afternoon Tea, but if somehow you shouldn’t, I packed in some scones as well.” She smiled and as they turned to leave they thought they could hear her muttering about how sad it was that they had to do all that traveling.  
  
“Just think of all those missed meals.”  
  
But they thought nothing more of it as they started walking north. And kept walking. Then they walked a little more. The landscape started changing after a few hours, they went from the nice and calm hills and roaming grounds to a slightly more forested area.  
  
The conversation was sparse, none of them wanted to really think of what they were leaving behind, and what they were going towards. Hopefully they would be able to find work again in the Blue Mountains after being gone for many years, they just had to find the next mining settlement. It was quite understood though, that Bifur could not return to the mines. Hopefully he could make a living on his toys, he had started making them again, they were usually somewhat grotesque and frightening, but many of the children thought they were far more interesting than anything Bofur could ever make.  
  
Not long after they had entered the woods the view changed again, and instead of green rolling fields, there was a bog.  

  
  
It turned out that they did arrive late for Afternoon Tea, and really, it wasn’t Bofur’s fault. At least if you asked him. If you asked Bombur or Bifur they would very much disagree.  
  
They made it in time for Dinner, and had to stay the night because Bofur managed to topple into the water and drag Bifur, who then dragged Bombur, into it as well. When they got to Needlehole they were all soaking wet, though the chest of crunchy bread was very nicely waterproof. The scones on the hand turned rather soggy.  
  
Luckily, since they had quite a few layers, they could at least wear their small clothes, as hobbits did not have clothes that could fit the taller and broader dwarves.  
  
Dinner was slightly more simple than yesterday’s and supper consisted of a vegetable soup, but the environment was lively and festive, visitors being welcomed, few and far between as they were.  
  
In the morning their clothes and packs were dry so after First Breakfast they finally manage to get up and say goodbye to the Shire, though there was no doubt in their hearts that they would be returning one day.  
  
  
  
And so ended the first visit of Bifur, Bofur and Bombur to the Shire, but they were the first of many Dwarves that the inhabitants throughout the Shire, and Buckland, would come to welcome into their homes, and hearts.  
  
There were still other Dwarves of course, the ones that passed through that showed Hobbits nothing but plain disrespect and disregard, so it was always refreshing when they found the ones that could come to respect Hobbits and treat them as equals.

**Author's Note:**

> After all the map researching, I think I had them go the wrong way round anyway. Well, the Hobbits obviously just wanted them to stay for more food.


End file.
